On Monday, October 7th, residents of the Albany Bulb and local community members will rally outside Albany City Council's bi-monthly meeting and speak during the public comment section in defense of the Bulb, a unique space for arts, community, and haven for those who have nowhere else to go. The gathering will then leave the meeting and march down Solano Ave to set up a one night encampment, demonstrating what the thoroughfare will look like if the Bulb’s 60+ residents are evicted from their homes.

ALBANY, CA -- On Monday, October 7th, residents of the Albany Bulb and local community members will rally outside Albany City Council's bi-monthly meeting and speak during the public comment section in defense of the Bulb, a unique space for arts, community, and haven for those who have nowhere else to go. The gathering will then leave the meeting and march down Solano Ave to set up a one night encampment, demonstrating what the thoroughfare will look like if the Bulb’s 60+ residents are evicted from their homes. The City of Albany, along with the Sierra Club and Citizens for East Shore Parks, is trying to evict more than 60 people who call the Albany Bulb home in order to go through with plans to develop a park, without providing any alternative housing solutions in the face of the coming winter. Those fighting to prevent the eviction cite the City of Albany's insufficient shelter resources, as well as the dangerous environments in homeless shelters and on the streets, as reasons to preserve the Bulb as a haven. The Albany Bulb has been home to hundreds of otherwise homeless individuals over several decades, and currently houses about 60. The land was originally a solid waste landfill, but the hard work and artistic contributions of the Bulb residents and allied community members has turned the place into one of the most physically and psychologically safe places to be homeless in the Bay Area, as well as a much-loved hub for art and alternative culture. Many Albany residents have fond attachments to the art and the people at the Bulb. This action comes in the wake of a series of actions urging the city not to go through with their eviction plans, including a solidarity concert and potluck last Saturday, an encampment at the Bulb on Wednesday, and several independently organized actions targeting the Sierra Club and Albany City Council members.